Shanghai Travel Tips

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Shanghai Travel Tips - discover the top Attractions throughout Shanghai

Last Update: 12th November 2019

What are some Shanghai Travel Tips?

Shanghai is acclaimed as the most international city throughout Mainland China. It is always one of the must-visit cities among thousands of visitors to China. Are you prepared to do your Shanghai Tour? Let’s see some useful travel tips in Shanghai.

Top 10 Attractions in Shanghai

The Top Attractions in Shanghai include the following attractions:

The Bund

Xujiahui Catholic Church
Shanghai Tower

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Interested in some Shanghai Travel Tips and to plan a Shanghai Tour?

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Things to bring to Shanghai

Things you should bring to Shanghai around the year are sunglasses, umbrellas and sunscreen cream.

What to wear in Shanghai

If you are planning to visit Shanghai in winter and spring, it is recommended that you bring sweaters, jackets, scarves, gloves and down coats. If your visit to Shanghai is in summer, you should bring shorts, skirts, and T-shirts. If you want to explore Shanghai in autumn, the things you should bring are thin sweaters and jackets.

Train Ticket Booking Advice

If you would like to take a high-speed train to/from Shanghai, it is strongly recommended that you book the tickets 7 days at least prior to your travel date, especially during the holiday. Passengers can be able to book it online 30 days prior to the travel date. Trip.com offers the booking service for the train tickets to foreign travellers.

Visa Requirements

Since the 144-hour visa-free transit policy was carried out on November 1, 2018 in Shanghai, air passengers who are the passport holders from the following 53 countries are permitted to stay in Shanghai for up to 144 hours (6 days) without a visa. Details of these countries are as follows:

25 x Schengen Zone Countries:

Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Monaco.

14 x other European countries:

Russia, UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, and Belarus.

6 x American Countries:

USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile

2 x Oceania Countries:

Australia, and New Zealand

6 x Asian Countries:

United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, and Brunei

How to get to Shanghai

Shanghai’s transportation network could be said to be the most developed in China. Let’s take a quick look at the main means of transportation to Shanghai.

By Air

You could take a direct flight to the city from the main international cities, including Hawaii, New York, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Chicago, Tokyo, Toronto, Bangkok, Sydney, Dubai, Doha, London, San Francisco, Auckland, Detroit, etc. If you are planning to carry on your tour around China to Shanghai from other main tourist destinations in China, such as Beijing, Beihai, Guilin, Changsha, Guangzhou, Haikou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Dalian, Guiyang, Nanning, Urumqi, Xi’an and the like, you also can take a direct flight to the city.

By Train

Alternatively, you can take a high-speed train to Shanghai from the main cities in South China, East China and Southwest China. Generally speaking, if you are planning to get to Shanghai from Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia Provinces by train, you have to take a normal train where you have to spend 15 hours at least before arriving in Shanghai.

VPN Advice

Foreign social media are usually blocked in Mainland China, such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, Google and Whatsapp. If you would like to share your experience in Shanghai with your friends and families via these social media, it is strongly recommended that you set up a paid VPN on your cellphone, ipad and laptop.

Other Travel Tips

Learn about some other travel tips relating to your visit to China.

Money

You are able to withdraw money on most of the ATMs in Shanghai via Visa and Mastercard debit cards. It is suggested that you notice your your banks that you will be using your cards in China beforehand.

Phones

If your cell phone service is accessible in China, it is more convenient for you to use your own phone number in China. If not, it is recommended that you get a local SIM card if you want to keep in touch with your families during your stay in China. If you’d like to get the international service from local mobile services, you need to let the staff know it on site.

Useful numbers in Mainland China

If you need the medical service in an emergency, you could call 120 in Mainland China. If you get stuck in any trouble, please call 110. If you see a fire, please call 119.